You moved from a sub $200 entry-level phone to something that is (in my country at least) 4X the price and impressed by the experience?
Not exactly a fair comparison.
4X the price, but can still be hugely subsidized through a phone contract or simply buying used. Getting any hardware widespread and into the hands of consumers is an artform in itself.
>subsidized through a phone contract or simply buying used
Those aren't solutions because the 'subsidization' is just a payment plan with interest, and the used costs are reflective market prices. It is exactly why whenever I go to Europe I typically bring old devices to sell.
The problem is how can users obtain better devices which will in turn provide a higher quality experience. It's absolutely a solution. Providing an incentive and/or partnership with telecom carriers and allowing the hardware (and perhaps supporting the software) to have lasting resale value is a solution. It doesn't have to be a comparison from what immediately hurts the wallet more... Providing users with an entry barrier to obtain the hardware at (or almost) zero immediate cost is exactly why these contracts exist.